“Jazz At St Andrews” started in August 2021 when local trumpeter, Chris Coull wanted to set up music for local jazz fans and opportunities for Sussex musicians coming out of lockdown. Since its original 3 week run, it has blossomed into a series of jazz concerts throughout the year, showcasing some of the best talent from the UK as well as featuring international artists. Asked what the secret was Chris told us “The idea of jazz concerts in church is a relatively new one, but what really makes this different is the timing; Friday nights from 6pm-8pm is earlier than a lot of other jazz events and seems to suit a lot of people wanting to see some live music without it taking up the whole evening. There’s also parking and good public transport links which definitely helps”.
Since its inception Chris has put on over 40 concerts and, with an ever growing circle of concert goers, this should be an evening that continues throughout 2023, with a spring and summer season planned.
The next series of live jazz concerts is in January 2023 when four groups will appear, starting with “The Three Little Birds” vocal trio on January 6th. Other highlights include “The Re-Birth Octet” (playing the music of Miles Davis), “The Blue Note Sextet” (with much acclaimed musicians, Josephine Davies on tenor saxophone and Mark Bassey on trombone) and “Boperation” – an organ based quartet with a tribute to jazz composer and pianist, Thelonious Monk.